From the execution platform to the battlefield.
Maude made no effort to conceal his intentions.
Whitebeard, the target of his gaze, could feel the piercing intensity of Maude's eyes locked onto him at all times.
Earlier, Whitebeard had already experienced Maude's relentless desire to attack him firsthand.
However, how could he possibly waste time and energy on a mere "brat"? That was why he had his sons push Maude back before.
On this battlefield, only adversaries of Admiral-level strength were worth his attention.
But now, things were clearly different.
Sensing Maude's aura, which had grown blisteringly intense in such a short time, Whitebeard—who had full command of the battlefield—immediately ordered his crew not to throw their lives away by challenging Maude recklessly.
He was well aware that Maude's target was himself.
This meant that Maude would not become an obstacle in his sons' efforts to break through to the execution platform. There was no need to provoke him.
Besides, with Maude's current strength, if his sons stubbornly tried to stop him, it would only hinder the hard-fought momentum they had regained.
With the rear of the Navy in chaos, every second counted. The sooner they reached the execution platform, the greater their chances of rescuing Ace.
They could not afford to slow their assault for Maude's sake.
"Ignore me. Do what you must do."
Whitebeard swung his naginata, forcing back Akainu, whose arms flowed with molten lava, and then slightly tilted his head back as he gave his order in a commanding voice.
"Pops, but—"
Hearing Whitebeard's command, the pirates looked at him with concern.
"Your condition—"
"Shut up."
Whitebeard Pirates' 11th Division Commander, Kingdew, cut off his comrades sternly.
"Following Pops' orders is what we should be doing right now."
"Commander Kingdew..."
"If you don't want to die a meaningless death, don't let yourself be distracted. Our Pops is the strongest man in the world!"
"Yeah!"
Encouraged by those words, the pirates regained their focus.
They quickly withdrew their killing intent toward Maude and redirected their efforts toward the Marines blocking their path.
With no more reckless pirates trying to stop him, Maude proceeded unhindered, making his way to the edge of the battlefield.
On the battlefield.
Whitebeard and Akainu unleashed their immense Devil Fruit abilities, each seeking to kill the other.
The cataclysmic collision of quake forces and searing magma shook the entire battlefield.
With each clash, the overwhelming power of both men distorted the very space around them, creating terrifying rifts and fractures in the landscape.
The terrain itself was constantly reshaped by their battle.
Despite facing the world's strongest man alone, Akainu—one of the Navy's top fighters—was holding his ground without showing any signs of weakness.
In fact…
One could argue that he had gained the upper hand.
"Letting him come right to you... How confident you must be, Whitebeard."
A colossal eruption of flames was shattered by Whitebeard's quake force, and stray droplets of magma dripped from Akainu's face as he glanced at Maude, who had just arrived.
After clashing with Whitebeard, Akainu had noticed the old man's strength waning.
Perhaps it was due to age and exhaustion, or perhaps the toll of his earlier island-shattering attack had left his body struggling.
Whatever the cause, Akainu was certain—defeating Whitebeard was only a matter of time.
And yet, despite clearly being at his limit, Whitebeard allowed Maude—who sought his head—to enter the fray.
To Akainu, this was nothing short of digging his own grave.
At the same time, Akainu had no objections to Maude joining him in taking Whitebeard down.
After all, this was war.
For the Navy, the sooner Whitebeard fell, the sooner victory would be secured.
"You do realize that too much confidence and digging your own grave are the same thing, don't you?"
Akainu's expression remained unreadable as he stared at Whitebeard. As he spoke, his magma-infused arm boiled violently, rapidly taking the shape of a hellhound's maw.
Whitebeard ignored him and moved first.
With a single slash of his naginata, imbued with quake force, Whitebeard sent a razor-sharp shockwave slicing through the air, severing Akainu's body clean in half.
The attack continued past him, shattering the ground beneath.
This strike had been coated in Haki.
But Akainu had preemptively turned part of his body into magma, creating an opening through which the naginata passed harmlessly.
A risky maneuver, but one that allowed Akainu to counterattack instantly.
Hellhound!
The magma hound's fangs gnashed as it lunged at Whitebeard's head.
Whitebeard's eyes sharpened. He let go of his bisento with his right hand, forming a fist imbued with quake force, and struck the hellhound head-on.
CRACK—!
The space surrounding them splintered like fractured glass, rippling with shockwaves.
The force blasted Akainu into a mass of molten lava, splattering across the battlefield like a rain of fire.
Even with his strength fading, Whitebeard's unparalleled battle experience allowed him to repel all enemies.
At that moment, Maude made his move.
Stealth Walk.
A whisper of wind.
Maude arrived in front of Whitebeard, his sword, Shusui, raised high.
Hakoku—Slash!
The black blade, clad in Haki, gleamed with blinding white light as it sliced downward at Whitebeard's head.
"So you don't resort to sneak attacks…"
A cold gleam flickered in Whitebeard's eyes.
Despite being at his limit, Maude had chosen to attack head-on rather than from behind.
Interesting…
Whitebeard swiftly stepped back, buying himself a split second to move his arm.
And just before the blade reached him, he threw a punch.
Their attacks clashed.
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield.
At the point where their sword and fist met, a luminous sphere of compressed energy formed, containing their immense combined power.
Black-red lightning crackled wildly, arcing through the battlefield like sprawling branches.
CRACK—!
The ground behind Whitebeard split apart, the massive fissure stretching all the way to the island's port.
Behind Maude, the ground was also sundered, as though an invisible blade had carved a path through the plaza and town.
The sheer impact of the clash left countless onlookers in shock.
But the battle was not over.
"I thought you'd block it… In that case, I won't hold back."
Maude's gaze pierced through the crackling arcs of black-red lightning, locking onto Whitebeard.
"..."
Whitebeard remained silent, but a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes.
SLICH!
Without warning, invisible blades sliced across Whitebeard's shoulders, sending arcs of blood spraying into the air.
Shadows…
Whitebeard's expression did not change as he stared at Maude.
Across the battlefield, and on screens around the world—
Countless people watched in utter disbelief.
"The world's strongest man…"
"Was wounded in a single strike!!!"
Those who witnessed it were left stunned.
Had the power of the Seven Warlords' Maude…
…already surpassed Whitebeard?
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